Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Dennis Schutter

  • First noninvasive stimulation was in 1980
    • The high voltages needed for this method caused discomfort
    • Wasn't practical
  • In 1985, induction provided the grounds to do TMS painlessly
  • a magnetic pulse incites a current in neurons, creating a potential and depolarizing
  • TMS has the direct effect on what's right under the scalp, but also indirect effects on functionally connected regions
  • has the benefit of being able to causally relate a functional unit to an outcome
  • if TMS is applied repeditively, its effects last after the treatment
  • slow rTMS (1Hz) attenuates excitability
  • fast rTMS (5Hz) augments excitability
  • "motor threshold" is how much TMS it takes to get a finger twitching
    • subthreshold targets immediate area
    • superthreshold targets functionally connected units as well